What is Hypertonicity?
Does Hypertonicity Cause Incontinence?
Bladder Control Medication
Bladder control issues affect millions of individuals, disrupting daily life with symptoms like urgency, frequency, and incontinence.
If you’ve ever been told to “just do your Kegels” but found out they actually make your symptoms worse, you’re not imagining things, and you’re not alone.
Many women quietly live with pelvic discomfort, bladder urgency, difficulty emptying their bladder, pain with penetration, or a constant feeling of tension they can’t quite describe. You might feel tight, clenched, or guarded in your lower body, even when you’re trying to relax. And yet, when you search for answers, most advice centers around strengthening the pelvic floor, without ever asking whether those muscles might already be working overtime.
What is Hypertonicity?
Hypertonicity occurs when the muscles are excessively tight or constantly contracted. This can affect various muscles in the body, including those on the pelvic floor, which play a crucial role in bladder and bowel control, and are also referred to as hypertonic pelvic floor or high muscle tone.
These muscles must contract and relax appropriately to maintain continence and allow for normal urination and bowel movements. When these muscles are hypertonic, they are too tight, leading to dysfunction and contributing to incontinence.
How Does Hypertonicity Lead to Incontinence?
- Urgency Incontinence: Hypertonic muscles can irritate the bladder, leading to sudden and strong urges to urinate when the bladder isn’t full
- Overflow incontinence: Excessive tightness can interfere with the normal flow of urine, causing the bladder to retain urine and leading to a leak when the bladder becomes overly full.
- Constipation: Tight pelvic floor muscles can also cause constipation, which can indirectly lead to fecal incontinence due to the straining and pressure it creates.
- Anal Sphincter Dysfunction: Hypertonicity can affect the muscles around the anus, making it difficult to control bowel movements, leading to involuntary leakage.
- Stress Incontinence: Although stress incontinence is not usually due to hypertonicity, the bladder leakage due to movement can present similarly, confusing some.
Causes of Hypertonicity
- Chronic stress: muscles can remain in a state of tension.
- High-impact activities: overuse or misuse of pelvic muscles from straining from these
activities, such as CrossFit. - Childbirth: Trauma to the pelvic area during childbirth can lead to muscle tightness and
dysfunction - Injury or surgery: Pelvic surgeries or injuries can cause scar tissue and muscle tension.
- Neurological conditions: Conditions such as multiple sclerosis or stroke can affect
muscle tone.
Symptoms of Hypertonicity
- Pain or discomfort in the pelvic region
- Frequent urination or difficulty emptying the bladder
- Constipation or pain during bowel movements
- Painful intercourse
- Chronic pelvic pain
- Bladder leakage due to movement
How to Treat Hypertonicity?
- Pelvic floor Physical Therapy: This is often the first line of treatment and involves exercises and techniques to relax and strengthen the pelvic muscles.
- Biofeedback: This technique uses sensors to provide real-time feedback about muscle activity, helping patients learn to control their pelvic muscles better.
- Medications: Muscle relaxants or other medications may be prescribed to reduce muscle tension.
- Behavioral Modifications: Stress management, dietary changes, and bladder training can also help alleviate symptoms.
- NeuroMuscular Stimulation: To help focus on relaxing those muscles, try Elitone URGE.
Elitone URGE focuses on sending calming waves to relax those muscles that don’t know how! It also cycles through the on and off stimulation, cueing the muscles in on alternating states.
It can be effortlessly done for 20 minutes a day, 4-5 days a week, while going about your day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does pelvic floor hypertonicity feel like?
Hypertonicity can feel different for each person, but common sensations include pelvic tightness, pressure, burning, difficulty starting urine flow, incomplete emptying, painful intercourse, tailbone pain, or bladder urgency without infection. Some women describe feeling like they can’t fully relax their pelvic muscles—even at rest.
Can you have hypertonic pelvic floor muscles and bladder leaks?
Yes. Although leaks are often associated with weak pelvic floor muscles, overactive or tight muscles can also contribute to bladder symptoms. When the pelvic floor can’t relax properly, it may disrupt normal bladder signaling and coordination, leading to urgency, frequency, or leaks.
Do Kegels help with hyperonicity?
NO! Kegels focus on tightening and strengthening the pelvic floor, which can worsen symptoms if the muscles are already too tight. For hypertonicity, treatment usually emphasizes relaxation, down-training, breathing, and restoring normal muscle coordination before any strengthening is introduced.
How is pelvic floor hypertonicity treated?
Treatment often includes pelvic floor physical therapy focused on muscle relaxation, breathing techniques, posture correction, nervous system regulation, and gentle neuromuscular re-education. At-home therapies that support muscle coordination—without invasive probes—may also be used as part of a broader care plan.
Can stress or anxiety cause pelvic floor hypertonicity?
Yes. Chronic stress, anxiety, and trauma can contribute to pelvic floor tension. The pelvic muscles often respond to stress by tightening, much like the jaw or shoulders. Over time, this habitual tension can become the body’s default state unless addressed intentionally.
Is hypertonicity common after childbirth or surgery?
It can be. Childbirth, pelvic surgeries, or injuries may lead some women to subconsciously guard or tighten their pelvic muscles as a protective response. Even years later, this tension can persist if it’s never properly evaluated or treated.
Can hypertonicity improve over time?
Yes. With the right approach, many women experience meaningful improvement. Learning how to relax and coordinate the pelvic floor—rather than forcing strength—can help reduce symptoms and restore comfort and confidence over time.
When should I talk to a specialist?
If you’re experiencing persistent pelvic pain, bladder or bowel symptoms, or discomfort with intimacy, it’s worth speaking with a pelvic floor physical therapist or healthcare provider trained in pelvic health. Getting the right diagnosis is key to choosing the right treatment.
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